Top 15 most important games in Razorback basketball history: 10-6
Arkansas is one of the most storied programs in college basketball history. Boasting two national championship appearances with one victory, six Final Fours, 11 Elite Eights, and 14 Sweet Sixteens, there have been dozens of games the Razorbacks have played with great importance.
In ranking the most important games in program history, there are certain ways to look at each entry in this list. Did the game have a direct and/or immediate impact on the program? Did it elevate the program? Was it the cause of an event or chain of events that impacted the trajectory of the program?
For this list, most of these will be measured by positive effect, rather than negative, so while the 1995 loss to UCLA, which prevented the Razorbacks from being repeat champions could be included, it was not in this list. With all that said, here is 10-6 of the list:
10. Win over Kansas in the 2023 Round of 32
Kansas is one of the premiere programs in all of college basketball. With four national championship wins and 10 championship appearances, on top of a litany of other banner-worthy NCAA Tournament runs, it could be argued that the Jayhawks are the best program in the sport.
Despite having an immensely talented roster, the Razorbacks struggled with injuries throughout the 2022-2023 season, resulting in them drawing the dreaded 8-seed matchup in the tournament.
The 8 or 9-seed line is considered to be the worst for the purposes of advancing because theoretically, a team is matched up with an opponent similar to its own talent level, and if the team advances, in every circumstance except one in history that team will face a 1-seed.
Arkansas beat Illinois and then moved to face top-seeded Kansas. The Jayhawks were defending national champions and were expected to make yet another deep run to add to their collection, but the Razorbacks shocked the college basketball world. It marked the second straight year that Arkansas defeated a 1-seed to advance in the NCAA Tournament.
9. Defeating Kentucky in first SEC matchup with Wildcats, 1992
Arkansas made the jump from the Southwest Conference to the Southeastern Conference in the 1991-1992 season and the Razorbacks made themselves known on the hardwood immediately.
That season, the Hoop Hogs started out ranked No. 3 in the AP Poll, and were looking to build on the Elite Eight appearance from the year before. After winning the SWC regular season and conference championships in 1991, the SEC was another challenge.
Right out of the gate Arkansas showed it belonged. The Razorbacks hung 110 points on Auburn in their first SEC game in a decisive victory, and began conference play 5-1 before facing the gold standard of the conference: Kentucky.
The Wildcats won the SEC in 1991, so when the two programs faced off for the first time, it was as if the two foes were competing to see who would be the face of the expanded SEC.
Arkansas went into Rupp Arena its first year in the conference and blew out Kentucky 105-88. The SEC was on notice and the Wildcats were humbled.
The Razorbacks went on to win the West division with a 13-3 conference record, while Kentucky won the East division with a 14-2 record. Arkansas scored 100+ points in six conference games in its debut season in the SEC, scoring fewer than 75 points just once.
8. Win over Texas Tech in 2021 for the first Sweet Sixteen in 25 years
Year two of the Eric Musselman era started strong, hit a rough patch, and then finished the season even stronger, which has become characteristic of his Razorback teams.
Arkansas started the year 9-0 (1-0) as it appeared Musselman had rebuilt the program swiftly, but an injury to starting forward Justin Smith halted the momentum at the beginning of conference play as the Razorbacks lost four of their next five games.
Sitting at 10-4 in January with no major victories, three impact freshmen, and a couple of major transfer additions, Arkansas needed to make a run to get into the post season, and it did just that, winning 11of its final 12 games. That was good enough to finish second in the SEC and earn a 3-seed in the NCAA Tournament.
While the Razorbacks set themselves up for success in the postseason, they had a tough draw to get there. An early struggle against Colgate had Arkansas fans concerned, but Musselman and his Razorbacks expanded the lead in the second half to win by 17.
Then came Texas Tech. The Red Raiders were a dark horse in the NCAA Tournament as a 6-seed. Just two years prior they had lost in the national championship, and the year before that they lost in the Elite Eight.
Arkansas held a two-point lead at halftime, and expanded its lead to double digits in the second half, but the Red Raiders clawed their way back into it. JD Notae hit a free throw to give the Razorbacks a 68-66 lead with 19.3 seconds remaining. After he missed the second, Texas Tech went down the court and attacked the rim with under five seconds to go, but a strong contest from Justin Smith forced a miss. Arkansas secured the rebound and advanced to its first Sweet Sixteen in 25 years.
The Razorbacks wouldn't stop there, though, as they defeated Oral Roberts to go to the Elite Eight, and then went back to the Elite Eight in the 2021-2022 season, as well. The Texas Tech game got the proverbial monkey off the back of the program, so to speak, for NCAA Tournament success moving forward.
7. Loss to UNLV in 1991 - 'Go get some men!'
Sitting at 22-1 and on a 19-game winning streak, Arkansas was about to face off in one of the biggest games of the college basketball season. The No. 2 Razorbacks hosted the No. 1 UNLV Runnin' Rebels. Both teams were known for their fast pace of play and high scoring offenses, and the two did not disappoint.
The game ended in a 112-105 victory for the Rebels, and while the game lived up to the billing, the notoriety and importance stemming from it came from the postgame.
In an interview with the Washington Post in 1994, while Arkansas was ranked No. 3 in the country, head coach Nolan Richardson recounted an exchanged with UNLV forward Larry Johnson.
"Coach, you got to get some men, man," Johnson reportedly said to Richardson, who in turn told his staff about the advice from the future College Basketball Hall of Famer.
"That's the first thing I told my assistants," Richardson said. "I said, 'Hey, Larry says we got to get some MEN.'"
The significance of that exchange has potentially been blown out of proportion in recent years, but the fact remains that by the time Richardson reminisced on the comment from Johnson nearly three years later, the Arkansas front court consisted of 6-foot-7, 245-pound Corliss "Big Nasty" Williamson, 6-foot-9, 260-pound Dwight Stewart, 6-foot-11, 250-pound Lee Wilson and 6-foot-11, 260-pound Darnell "Tank" Robinson.
Just three years after that game, with a beefy frontcourt full of tenacious attitudes, Arkansas won a national championship. Was Johnson's brief advice to Richardson the catalyst for that? Probably not, but it makes a great story, and a No. 1 versus No. 2 matchup in Barnhill Arena is worthy enough to make this list.
6. Victory over Texas - March 10, 1991: Southwest Conference Sweep
Arkansas was on its way out of the SWC and into the SEC in the 1990-1991 basketball season, and the Razorbacks wanted to make sure they went out on a high note. Behind a stacked roster of Todd Day, Oliver Miller, Lee Mayberry, Ron Huery and Arlyn Bowers, the Razorbacks ran through the SWC.
The team won the SWC outright in the regular season with a 15-1 record, the only loss coming in the regular season finale on the road against Texas. That loss left a bad taste in the Razorbacks' mouth, as they were so close to perfection in their final season in the conference, but they would get their revenge.
The Razorbacks would go on to decimate the competition in the conference tournament, scoring over 100 points each in three consecutive times on their way to winning the conference championship title.
None of the games were remotely close. Arkansas embarrassed the competition, defeating Texas A&M 108-61, Rice 109-80, and met up against the Longhorns in the championship game, winning 120-89.
The 120 points scored on Texas were the most by the Razorbacks that season, and Arkansas cut town for the SEC with a clean sweep in the SWC.